What are migraine headaches?

Migraine headaches are a severe type of headache. These headaches can be triggered by many factors including the environment, diet, stress, and hormones among others. Little is known about what triggers them and sometimes more than one or different factors are involved.   

What are the symptoms of migraine headaches?

Migraine headaches cause severe pain and may cause nausea, dizziness, vomiting, irritability, lack of concentration, hypersensitivity to light, noise and smell.

What are some non-food migraine headaches triggers?

Non-food triggers include stress, tiredness, irregular sleep, menstrual cycle, noise, changes in weather, strong perfume or nail polish odours, bright or flickering light. It is best to keep a daily log and note down migraine headache episodes which will help identify responsible factors.

What are some known food migraine headaches triggers?

Caffeine, high fat foods such as fried foods, meat, fish, lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits, sucralose and aspartame are known to be migraine triggers in some people. It is worth mentioning that alcohol, fasting or skipping meals, being dehydrated are also factors that have been linked to trigger migraines. It is best to keep a food log and note down migraine headaches episodes to pinpoint what food may be causing the headaches.     

What are some lifestyle habits one can adopt to reduce migraine headaches?

In order to reduce the incidence of migraine headaches, it is best to wake up and sleep at almost the same time every day, exercise every day for at least 30 minutes and try to manage daily stress.  

What are some dietary habits one can adopt to reduce migraine headaches?

Eating regularly, having nutritious snacks handy and keeping well hydrated are all dietary habits one should adopt. It is also better to avoid alcohol or other specific foods if one notices that they trigger the migraines.

FAQ’s

Are there any supplements that can help relieve my migraine headaches?

Magnesium, riboflavin, coenzyme 10 and butterbur supplements have shown to decrease the number of migraine headaches. These supplements may indeed reduce the frequency of migraines, however, they do not stop a migraine headache once it has started.